China uses the term “flexible employment” (灵活就业) to describe work arrangements outside traditional full-time, long-term employment relationships. The category includes gig-economy workers, freelancers, self-employed individuals, platform-based workers, part-time employees, food-delivery riders, ride-hailing drivers, livestream hosts, and others who earn income without standard labor contracts. Chinese authorities generally classify these workers as employed, even though many of these jobs offer limited job security, unstable income, and reduced access to social insurance and employment benefits compared with conventional employment.
A recent report released by the China New Employment Forms Research Center, jointly established by Capital University of Economics and Business and the China Association for Employment Promotion, found that China’s flexible employment workforce has expanded rapidly in recent years. Based on big-data monitoring, surveys, and field research, the report estimates that the number of flexible workers increased from more than 200 million in 2021 to 240 million in 2024 and 280 million in 2025. It projects that the figure will reach 320 million in 2026, accounting for approximately 44 percent of China’s total workforce of 725 million people.
Researchers noted that the continued expansion of flexible employment will have significant implications for labor rights protection, social security systems, and the overall structure of China’s labor market. By comparison, China’s blue-collar workforce grew only marginally, rising from 425 million in 2024 to 427 million in 2025.
Source: Lianhe Zaobao, June 7, 2026
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/news/china/story20260607-9169767